Pulps Between Boards: Arkham House and Other Specialty Publishers 4 4

[Bugfarm]

Finally picked up a copy last year.  Not perfect, but still beautiful

[Blorgon scum]

The Red World of Polaris by Clark Ashton Smith published by Night Shade Books.   Signed by Ron Hilger and Donald Sydney-Fryer.

[Book Guy]

What follows are some of my CAS things. I'm in the SF Bay Area and Smith lived for most of his life in the Sierras about 100 miles east of here. He also spent time in San Francisco and Pacific Grove near Monterey. In other words, it's easier to find signed and unique items in this area and he was a big focus for me back in the day, so I bought whatever I could afford. Humble-bragging here-I probably have about half a dozen more signed items, but they are too difficult to get to at the moment. Also a piece of original art that I'll post when I get time.

The sculpture below and the books inscribed to 'Ji-Eich' belonged to George Haas (Hass?) an East Bay Sci-Fi fan and Bigfoot Investigator again way back in the day. He sold these to people I worked with who knew him well and I bought them from them. CAS was a sculptor of whimsical and Lovecraftian focus as well as a writer and painter. He used rocks picked up on his hikes around the Sierras as well as sometimes sculpting in some sort of clay which was then fired. There is a Book of his sculpture out there. I think I have it, but couldn't put my hands on it. There might be two books.

Note the backwards 'K' and the 'A on the bottom. That is how he usually signed them.

[Book Guy]

Some signed Books.

[Book Guy]

Some more!

[Book Guy]

Last signed one for today.

[Book Guy]

Uncommon pamphlet format volume.

[RedFury]

Very nice CAS collection!  I especially love the sculpture and photo.  Thanks for sharing your treasures!

I have two signed CAS books, The Star-Treader and Other Poems and The Abominations of Yondo, and I also have one clay sculpture with the typical "KA" on the bottom (for Klark-Ash-ton).

[Book Guy]

On 1/29/2022 at 2:24 PM, RedFury said:

Very nice CAS collection!  I especially love the sculpture and photo.  Thanks for sharing your treasures!

I have two signed CAS books, The Star-Treader and Other Poems and The Abominations of Yondo, and I also have one clay sculpture with the typical "KA" on the bottom (for Klark-Ash-ton).

Post a pic of the sculpture! I'd love to see it. Mine is sculpted from a rock.

[RedFury]

Sure, here are a few shots of it.  I also found an old photo of it online.

[Book Guy]

On 1/29/2022 at 3:13 PM, RedFury said:

Sure, here are a few shots of it.  I also found an old photo of it online.

Wow! And able to levitate as well. Better keep an eye on it...

Where did it come from? Who did Smith give/sell it to?

It looks to be bigger than mine which is only about 3" tall.

 

Edited January 29, 2022 by Book Guy
Add a line

[Blorgon scum]

The Selected Letters of Clark Ashton Smith published by Arkham House 2003.  It has some photos of his carvings on the dustjacket.

[Blorgon scum]

The following two books by CAS were the first published by Arkham House that I ever bought.  I actually bought them at Walden Books a chain bookseller located in malls.  I was a teen and finding these types of books was kind of hard and this was a lucky find.  It was pre-internet so I usually had to travel to find the books in this genre.

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by Blorgon scum
correct order of photo

[Surfing Alien]

Super psyched... Just upgraded my copy of Howard's Arkham 1st. Definitely the most undervalued hardcover book in the entire universe... 1st Conan, 1st Solomon Kane, 1st Bran Mak Morn etc etc in a non fan hardcover edition...Did I mention the Hannes Bok cover?

[detective35]

On 4/23/2021 at 5:08 PM, Xaltotun said:

And here is the one to rule them all.

Bob Howard's first book, published posthumously in England in 1937. Print run was very low, maybe even around 800 copies, most of which were circulated via Boots lending library (ie a supermaket chain where you could borrow books for a week or so), and of course the jackets were discarded right away. Add the Blitz, and you will understand why there are only 18 known surviving copies, 9 of which are institutionally held.

I tracked down a first copy in 2007 or so. It was buried in the family archive of descendants of the Howard family. They are keeping that, of course. I found and this time bought another copy in 2010 from a UK bookseller, who had no idea what it was obviously, paying the grand sum of £20 for it. It instantly became the world's *second* best copy in existence, a book in abt Fine condition, but of course no dustjacket. With one exception, no copy survives with the dustjacket.

I thought I had my Grail, when the only copy in the world with the dj was offered. It came from Glenn Lord's collection. Glenn bought it for a song from August Derleth, who had told him at the time that he would get another copy later. Glenn chuckled. After Glenn passed away, the book was offered on eBay. It brought *lots* of attention from *Big Name* dealers (I know of at least three), but they didn't pull the trigger because the description stated that the book had been unbound then rebound when Don Grant prepared the first American edition of the book (in 1965). I knew this was not the case. Glenn Lord would *never* have done that. The copy that was used for the Don Grant edition is the one which is held at Ranger, Texas, all of which was later confirmed by copies of Glenn's correspondence. 

I sold my undercopy in exactly 12 minutes, and used it to partially finance the new one. And thus, this copy arrived in my hands. It is the only copy in the world with the dustjacket. The best copy, with an incredible pedigree, of the ultimate Grail of any Howard collector

Patrice,

 

Thanks for the background on the book.  I did see the book on eBay and I was aware that it was Glenn Lord's book, and the only copy in existence with a dust jacket.

I have to admit, until 2oo6 I had no idea what the book was.  Turns out I heard that a collector (Ed Gobbett) had come across a dozen very high grade white paged Shadow pulps from 1932-33 (mainly 1932).  Through a friend I was told that he would not sell the Shadows, but would trade for a WT #1. 

A week later I was told that the changed his mind and now the only way he would trade the Shadow was for a copy of the "The Gent from Bear Creek".  I had no idea what that was, but in talking with John Gunnison, Doug Ellis, and Frank Robinson, I soon heard the entire background story on the book in detail.  At that time there were only 7 known copies, plus yours with the DJ.

Well the next day I received a phone call from Frank Robinson saying that I wouldn't believe it, but Leonard Shoup from Ontario, Canada, just listed a copy of "The Gent from Bear Creek" on ABE Books.  After a quick phone call, I bought the book and proceeded to trade it to collector Ed Gobbett for the Shadow pulps (I think the article on that copy and the trade was written up in an issue of "The Cimmerian" in 2006).

After that, I was very aware of that book and its significance.

Included a write up in "The Cimmerian" is an article about the estimated number of copies of "The Gent from Bear Creek" as of 2006.

I am thrilled to see that you came up with the book after it was listed on eBay.

Congratulations on a 1 of a kind Holy Grail.

Dwight Fuhro 

 

Edited February 9, 2022 by detective35

[Surfing Alien]

Sometimes a gamble pays off  -  got the Skull-Face in hand today and am even more stoked - it is even better than the description, which was very sparse. The book itself is super bright, tight and definitely unread. There is just the slightest bump to the upper left rear corner and an associated small tear in the dust wrapper - otherwise no other corner bumps or marks on the book - not even any shelfwear on the bottom edge - like its been laying flat for the last 75 years, and the dust jacket is super bright with eye popping colors and just some tiny edgewear. Unfortunately it's so nice that I won't be able to read it so I may be keeping my undercopy after all. I'm just not used to possessing Arkhams this nice - most of the ones I still own have some fatal flaw that made them cheap at the time. These are some of my favorite stories to read when I need a lift and I like reading them in these old editions 

[Blorgon scum]

The Collected Fantasies of Clark Ashton Smith published by Night Shade Books.  I also have them in eBook editions. lol😅

[Surfing Alien]

The problem with picking back up on these is that then you see another one you used to have and you have to bring it home 

[Blorgon scum]

A change of pace.  "Third Large Printing!" of Lovecraft's At The Mountains of Madness and other novels.

[OtherEric]

Found at a local store today.  Honestly, one of the least interesting Gnome Press books to me... but it's the first time I ever recall seeing a Gnome Press book in the wild.